Amazing.
That’s the first word that comes to mind when I look back at our travels to India. The country is famous for the Taj Mahal and megacities like Mumbai and New Delhi. But it’s the people that make the country.
It’s the people that create the atmosphere.
It’s the people that bring the country to life.
It’s the people that create your travel experience.
India has around 1.1 billion inhabitants. Urban areas are packed with people but also in the smallest villages people gather when you stop passing through their area.
Rural and urban areas had a different effect on us. We love big cities. We love the bustling life style, the crazy way people live together on a small area of land. We love to be overwhelmed by a city and its people.
In rural areas people approach travelers in a different way, more open. We passed through this small village where people gathered to watch us.
We were watched, while we traveled to India to watch them.
This was back in 1998, but I guess in many parts of India this has not changed. India is a gateway to a world that you could not have imagined existed (I will explain this in my next blog posts).
On the other hand you, the traveler, are a gateway as well. Like in many other countries, the incoming traveler is a gateway to a desired but unreachable world (at least for some).
This makes traveling countries like India intense. Very intense. I would recommend it to everyone.
I admire the Indian people. For accepting life as it is, for living life with a smile.
In 2012 we visited India again with our kids. Here is the link to the first story about that trip: Delhi India – “Dad, this is not normal!”
13 comments
Hey! These photos are amazing! Do you mind if I use one for my blog post? I will give you credit of course. 🙂
Hi @facebook-645980731:disqus thanks for the compliment!
Please drop me an email at: emiel@actoftraveling.com. Send me a copy of your blog but I’m sure it will not be a problem.
Wonderful Magic …
Great essay, I’ve been to India three times and have mixed feelings. It’s a very peculiar country, impossible to compare to any other place on earth, but sometimes I’ve had the impression foreigners traveling there and observing their colorful culture can enjoy it more than locals. Would love to go back, hopefully soon 🙂
Angela, interesting observation and I guess you right. We as foreigners see the colors and the poverty, but the majority of people live on a different level. We might be traveling again to India in 2012, but the plans are not fixed yet. Thanks for your comment.
I must say that you’ve captured some really nice shots of the amazing people of my homeland – Incredible India! 🙂 Though I’d suggest you visit here again – a lot has changed, for the better (though a lot is still the same, unfortunately), in fact, from your last visit in 1998…
Love these photos, Emiel. When did you go there? It’s on my list of dream destinations…
Hi Mary,
Thanks, we went in september 1998…long time ago and we are sure to return with our kids some day. It is a dream destination for sure, with totally different worlds in one country. I’m now working on two more posts..
Prachtige foto’s! Wat kan reizen (colourful people) toch je leven verrijken.
Misschien heb je nog eens wat voor portugal magazine?
Ewald.
Dank voor je reactie Ewald! Als ik ooit zo’n mooie reis naar Portugal maak zal ik je wat foto’s sturen 🙂
Hi Emiel, I have yet to go to India – Mysore would be my favorite place to visit but the Taj Mahal is up there too. Your photos are amazing and yet they don’t even match the beauty of your words…..us as a gateway and the people we see also a gateway……keep writing. You are gifted, my friend. Thanks for the glimpse into India!
Mysore, I had to look it up. But indeed, the South of India is another great part of the country to discover! You really should go to India, one of the most intense travel experiences we ever had. Thanks for your compliments, as always you encourage me to keep writing!
Beautiful people – incredible India